How Do I Start My Show Animal On Feed?
Whether you are showing cattle, hogs, lambs or goats, it is important to get your show animal off to a good start. Let’s explore best practices for getting your project started on a new show feed.
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- Know your show animal’s current feed before introducing a new one to ensure a smooth transition.
- Gradually introduce the new feed over 5 to 10 days, mixing it with the current feed.
- Choose a high-quality, palatable show feed that meets the nutritional needs of your animal.
- Adjust feed according to the growth and body composition of your show animal for best results.
- If your show animal stops eating, quickly evaluate potential stressors and consider palatable supplements to encourage intake.
What To Do Before Introducing a New Feed
Before you start your new show project on feed, it’s important to know what they are currently eating. Before hauling your animal home, ask your breeder:
- What feed are they currently eating?
- How much are they eating?
- How often are they eating?
- Will you be sending any of the current feed home with me?
If they won’t be providing any feed, make plans to buy a bag of the current feed before you bring your animal home.
Gradually Introduce a New Feed
The key to introducing a new feed at any point in your show animal’s life is to do it over time, generally over the course of five to 10 days. When you are ready to switch feeds, start with a ration that includes small amounts of the new feed mixed with the current feed and slowly increase to the full amount. Each day, you will increase the amount of the new feed in the ration and decrease the amount of the old feed.
What Feed to Start Your Show Animal On?
Your show feed should be formulated to meet the complete nutritional requirements of your animal and should be highly palatable to encourage consumption. Palatability is especially important when introducing your show project to a new feed.
What are Common Show Cattle Feeds?
Young show steers and heifers typically begin on a grower ration like Sunglo® Calf Grower, or an all-stage complete feed like Sunglo Show Cattle 12T. These textured diets meet the complete nutritional requirements of your show calf.
As cattle mature and grow, it is common to adjust their feed according to the needs of their unique body composition. For example, steers will transition from a growing to finishing ration like Sunglo Calf Finisher toward the end of their feeding period.
What are Common Show Pig Feeds?
Most show pigs will start on a higher protein feed like Sunglo 803 or Sunglo Show Pig Complete, which are both designed to support the nutritional demands of your show project at any stage.
As hogs mature and grow, it is common to adjust their feed according to the needs of their unique body composition. For example, pigs that are gaining too quickly may benefit from a diet with lower protein like Sunglo 16-G.
What are Common Show Goat Feeds?
Show goats can eat Sunglo Show Goat from start to finish, a pelleted feed with 15% protein and Healthy Tract Technology™ to support urinary tract health.
Show goats will typically remain on the same base feed for the entire feeding period with supplements added to support each animal’s unique needs at different stages.
What are Common Show Lamb Feed?
Sunglo Show Lamb is a good option for show sheep. The textured feed has 17% protein and contains no added copper.
Show lambs will typically remain on the same base feed for the entire feeding period with supplements added to support each animal’s unique needs at different stages.
What to Do If Your Show Animal Won’t Eat?
Livestock may stop eating due to several factors, like:
- Stress from hauling
- Weather changes or extreme weather conditions
- Underlying health issue or sickness
- Feed quality or freshness issues
If your show animal goes off feed, it’s important to quickly intervene. If you have confirmed that there are no health challenges or feed quality issues, try adding supplements that are designed to encourage consumption. Products like Sunglo S’More Fill™ or Sunglo Sumo™ are extremely palatable and can be added to the feed to encourage feed intake. Sunglo 4-Sure® can be mixed into your show animal’s water when extra nutrition and hydration are needed.
